Sea Shepherd Prevents Pilot Whale Bloodshed in the Faeroe
Islands

Sail forth - steer for the deep waters only,
Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee and thou with me,
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, our selves and all.
- Walt Whitman

It remains possible that whales may be killed after the Steve Irwin and
the Brigitte Bardot leave patrol, but June, July, and August are the three
most notorious months for the slaughter of the whales as they are peak
migration months. Our objective was to prevent the killing of any whales
during this period and that objective has been realized, therefore,
Operation Ferocious Isles has been extraordinarily successful.

Additionally during the duration of the campaign, the crews of our two
Sea Shepherd ships were able to meet and speak to hundreds of Faeroese
youth. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many young people in
opposition to the grind.

“When I think of a mother whale and her
calf swimming free in the sea because we silenced the harpoons this year, I
feel deeply and warmly satisfied, that all our efforts have been worth the
rough seas, the long voyages, the dangerous confrontations, and the
political harassment. And to be at sea surrounded by hundreds of pilot
whales that we were able to keep away from the killers onshore – that was
the highpoint of our summer.”

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Operation Ferocious Isles pilot whale
defense campaign is almost over and it looks like our objective has been
achieved. Not a single whale or dolphin has been killed on the beaches or in
the waters of the Faeroe Islands under our watch this July and August.

Earlier in the summer, the Faeroese police ordered that no grinds (pilot
whale drives and slaughter) would be allowed for as long as the Sea Shepherd
ships were in Faeroese waters. Thus, our mere watchful presence prevented
any killings this summer saving hundreds of whales as a result. Not a
dramatic campaign by far, but enormously successful nonetheless.

It remains possible that whales may be killed after the Steve Irwin and
the Brigitte Bardot leave patrol, but June, July, and August are the three
most notorious months for the slaughter of the whales as they are peak
migration months. Our objective was to prevent the killing of any whales
during this period and that objective has been realized, therefore,
Operation Ferocious Isles has been extraordinarily successful.

Additionally during the duration of the campaign, the crews of our two
Sea Shepherd ships were able to meet and speak to hundreds of Faeroese
youth. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many young people in
opposition to the grind.

Sea Shepherd had hoped to make a public presentation but unfortunately,
our request was denied by the Faeroese government, although our presence
generated a great deal of publicity both in the Faeroes and in Denmark.

Significant campaign achievements include increasing international
awareness of the whaling that takes place in the Faeroes, provoking
controversy and discussion amongst the local people, increasing spending for
the Danish Navy and police during the Sea Shepherd’s time in Faeroese
waters, and most importantly, preventing a single grind from taking place.

The two Sea Shepherd ships will return to Great Britain to begin to make
preparations for a return voyage to the Antarctic waters to once again
intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean
Whale Sanctuary.

The Steve Irwin will host a fundraising event on the Thames (river) in
London on September 13th.

The crews of the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are very happy with the
results of this year’s campaign and are anxious to return and once again
intercept the Japanese fleet to prevent them killing whales off the coast of
Antarctica.

“Over the past few months we saw whales, we deterred whales from
approaching the islands, we prevented the killing of whales by just being
here. We could not be any more pleased with the results of the campaign.
Zero kills translates into a perfect campaign and we are extremely happy
with the results of our efforts this summer,” said Captain Paul Watson.

This has been a very busy year for Sea Shepherd beginning with our
victory over the Japanese whaling fleet by driving them out of the Southern
Ocean Whale Sanctuary a month and a half before their season ended and
preventing them from killing 83% of their intended kill quota. Since our
victory in the Southern Ocean, we have captured poachers in the Galapagos,
confronted tuna poachers off the coast of Libya, protested at the 63rd
Annual International Whaling Commission meeting in Jersey, exposed the
atrocities of the seal slaughter in Namibia, helped catch the criminals who
viciously clubbed seal pups in New Zealand, reduced the number of dolphins
killed in Taiji, Japan by half, and now, we can relish in this victory for
the pilot whales here in the Faeroes.

Never before has Sea Shepherd been so active and effective on a truly
international level.

And the reason for our successes is your continued support. We do the
best we can with the resources available to us and increased support
translates into increased activism.

Our support base is steadily growing thanks to the momentum of recent
documentary films featuring Sea Shepherd including Eco-Pirate: The Story of
Paul Watson, Minds in the Water, and Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist. And of
course, thanks to Animal Planet’s hit television series Whale Wars now in
its fourth season.

“What gives me such satisfaction is knowing that because we have
intervened, because our ships have been on the water around the world, that
so many marine lives have been saved,” said Captain Watson. “When I think of
a mother whale and her calf swimming free in the sea because we silenced the
harpoons this year, I feel deeply and warmly satisfied, that all our efforts
have been worth the rough seas, the long voyages, the dangerous
confrontations, and the political harassment. And to be at sea surrounded by
hundreds of pilot whales that we were able to keep away from the killers
onshore – that was the highpoint of our summer.”

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